the case for pistols

[SPletcher]

OK, I know this was discussed before but it must have been on the old board as I can't find anything here.

How is the felt applied?  When building the case how do the figure and allow for the thickness of the felt?

Were they all dovetailed at the joints?

Thanks,

Steve

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Geez Steve, I think you might be overplanning here.  I've build a few cases for pistols, and I just make sure the pistol fits inside the box with some room for partitions.  I used M77 to glue the cloth to the partitions and the bottom.  As for corners, I've made them with rabbetted corners and with a simple 45 degree corner...I've never gone to the trouble of dovetailing, though that would be splendid.

[Jerry V Lape]

You building a wooden box, or a leather covered wooden box?  If the later they are usually  mitered corners (which you can reinforce with a spline if you like ).  Then the leather and wood are stitched through both the wood and leather at the corners.  I never could figure out how to do that stitching without an expensive specialized machine so the glued splines and saddle stitched throught the wood in hole drilled before hand.  I did not do the diagonal stitch through the corners. 

[Tim Crosby]

Then the leather and wood are stitched through both the wood and leather at the corners.  I never could figure out how to do that stitching without an expensive specialized machine so the glued splines and saddle stitched throught the wood in hole drilled before hand.  I did not do the diagonal stitch through the corners. 

 Do you have any pictures of that you can post?

Thanks, Tim C.

[SPletcher]

Here you go...

Samuel Oakes, London
Circa 1783-1791

[smart dog]

Hi Steve,
I am going to be building a case for a pair of dueling pistols very shortly and may have some information that might help you.  I must confess that most of my information is from "book learning" not experience, but I have handled 3 pistol cases, all English and from the late flint period. Of the cases I examined, the sides on one were mitered, 1 was finger jointed (not a dovetail), and the other was butt jointed.  All were glued but the simple butt jointed case was also clearly nailed.  The tops an bottoms were simply glued to the sides but I am pretty sure that one was rabbitted so that it had a shoulder that fitted down into the sides perhaps as much as 1/4 inch.  All of the cases were mahogany and mounted with brass fittings.  The hinges were stop butted at about 100 degrees of opening. The internal partitions (of the English style not French) were glued to the bottom of the case and in one case the ends were fitted into very shallow slots in the side trim on the inside of the box.  The side trim stuck up about 1/4 inch above the lower half of the case to form an internal lip when the case was closed.  Internally the cases were about 18" long, 7" wide, and about 2.5-3" deep.  Wood sides were 1/2-5/8" thick.  The partitions appear to be tapered toward their tops so that the bases were about 1/4" wide but the top was maybe about 1/8".  That probably was done so the baize fabric would roll over the tops and not create a bulky bunching up.  It also creates slightly tapered partition walls in which the rounded gunstocks cradle nicely. In all of the cases it appeared that the wool baize fabric (not felt) was placed on the bottom of each well first and the partitions were covered separately so that a joint in the fabric shows on the bottom of each partition. I think the baize fabric was glued down using "pearl glue" which is melted in a pot and remains pliable but sticky when hot.  I am planning to use 3M Super 77 adhesive, although I am not excited about the fumes that stuff produces.

Hope the info helps,

dave   

[Acer Saccharum]

Dave P, thanks for the most excellent constructional notes on the English pistol cases. Steve, great photos.

I wish that you guys would re-post this in the tutorial section, if you're willing, with an imaginative title like: "English Pistol cases"

If I create the post, it will have my name on it as creator. That's why I ask you to do it.

Acer

[Tim Crosby]

Here you go...

[

 Thanks for those pics. I was interested in the one you talked about that was leather covered and stitched thru the wood. Do you have any pics of one of those?

Thanks, Tim C.

[SPletcher]

I was interested in the one you talked about that was leather covered and stitched thru the wood. Do you have any pics of one of those?

I don't but Jerry mentioned the leather ones maybe he does.

Steve